The hard road to happiness
by Tarja the wind witch
Summary: Mangaverse-based AU. What if Neese had managed to separate Jiba from his sister as they hoped? Would they have a chance at happiness? Even when the biggest obstacle is overcome, the road to happiness is more tortuous than it looks. Rated M for lemons.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: The characters and the setting belong to Ryo Mizuno. The city of Raiden was taken by Eiyuu Kishi Den, a ROLW fansite, I do not know if a settlement of dark elves there is canon or just a roleplay construction. The only things I own are name of the unnamed sister and the OCs Shira and Victhar.

AN EXPLANATION: This is manga-based. If you have watched just the anime, you can't possibly understand it because Jiba and his sister didn't feature in it (what a loss of a storyline...).  
>Basically, there is a curse upon dark elven twins; any pair of twins born to a dark elven mother will share only one soul. This half life usually kills the twins before their first birthday. Jiba and his sister (who does not have a name in the manga) were twins. Their mother sought the help of Wagnard to save her children, and he agreed. By using necromantic magic, he bound the portion of soul belonging to the weaker female twin to a demon, then bound both to the stronger Jiba, thus allowing him to live, but apparently this life was not a bed of roses and he wanted nothing better than to free his sister, getting to the extremes of helping the mage Wagnard in his scheme to revive the goddess of destruction in order to reach his goal. Throughout the storyline, he behaves like a loving brother even if his sister is little more than a raving, murderous beast. The manga ending sees the two reunited in a single complete person by the hands of Neese, but this endidng didn't satisfy me.<br>What if Neese could give them freedom for real, as two separate people?

WARNING: this will contain a lemon, nothing graphic, but quite fluffy. But still, it is twincest, so if this is not your cup of tea, do not read.  
>Really...<br>No flaming me.  
>You have been warned! <p>

Enjoy and review!

* * *

><p>Jiba felt like he could never get enough of watching her smile.<br>After all they had endured, after all the fighting, all those years, they had finally found peace, finally found completion.

He remembered what happened in the dungeons in Marmo, that fatal, eternal moment when the girl had not known if she was Neese or Naneel, when the world had been on the brink of destruction. He remembered asking the goddess for deliverance, pleading for freedom, for having his sister restored to him and remembered being almost destroyed in the conflagration of energy. He did not know what happened in those momentous instants when everything had been in danger of annihilation, he could not have cared less about the world that had always shunned and mistreated him and his sister. He only cared for her, anguished at her silent pleas for freedom, felt her unnameable rage and suffered for her. What did he care if the world ended, if only she could be free?  
>He did not remember anything, except that when he woke up feeling empty and confused, she had been right beside him, totally real and as confused. She no longer had soft but powerful, white wings and sharp, black talons, but she was so beautiful... She stared at her hands and at her body with soft wonder, tears gathering in her golden eyes and falling on her dark-skinned, perfect face, free of monstrous glee and fury at last. He remembered extending a hand and touching her soft, warm skin and asking himself if it was real or just a delirium, a shared dream like they always had. He remembered her smile: he had never seen or felt her smile for real, without murdering intent, before. It was the most beautiful sight ever. Slowly, his sister crawled to him, she didn't know how to walk, and flung her arms around him, hugging him so tight that he almost couldn't breathe, her forehead touching his, her tears falling on his face. Over her shaking shoulders, he saw the mage, Aldo Nova, smiling softly and knew it was not a dream. "We made it, sweet sister… – he breathed, letting his own tears fall free and mingle with hers – We are safe. It is all over." His sister didn't answer, she didn't know how to talk, but hugged him tighter still, making a low keening noise in her throat. "It is over. It is over. It is over." he repeated as a mantra, as a lullaby, caressing her hair, soothing her.<p>

It had not been easy getting accustomed to this new life. The loss of connection, being unable to tell how she felt or what she thought as if the thoughts or feelings were his and having to rely on his senses to tell, scared him. He felt incomplete, head-blind, but seeing her so blissful, engaged in exploring the world she had experienced so little in those long years, learning with a burning need for knowledge, more than made up for his loss and made him feel slightly the egotist for noticing it at all. Maya, this was the name he gave her, since their mother didn't even bother, didn't know anything of the world and he had to teach her the most basic things, from walking to speaking, to washing and dressing herself. In a way, nothing had changed, he was still the elder responsible sibling and it didn't discomfit him in the least. He enjoyed having to care for her, felt proud at her every accomplishment, however small. In a way, he was for her not just a brother, but also a loving parent and a friend. He was her world, and she his.  
>When she finally learned to speak, her first word was his name and he actually cried tears of joy upon hearing it. He loved the sound of her voice, her stumbling upon unfamiliar words and stubbornly repeating them until she got them right. Later on, he could listen to her talk for hours. Everything was new and beautiful for her and seen through her eyes and her words, the world seemed more beautiful than the harsh and cold place Jiba knew it to be.<br>He loved when she walked unsteadily using him as a support, leaning upon him and laughing. "I look like an old woman like this…" she would say, smiling, but she would accept his help, and even now that she could walk and even run as a gazelle, she still liked to thread her arm with his and walk calmly beside him in the forest.  
>They had to move from Marmo, for obvious reasons, not last Luzev's wrath, but he had managed to find a passage to Raiden, a city of outcasts where other dark elves lived. There in the forests, with the help of the spirits, he had built a home for them both, away from the villages but not far. He wanted privacy, but felt like he could not isolate his sweet sister for ever. She was bound to want some other company beside his, sooner or later, and, even if he dreaded the moment when she would go away, far from him, he was fully ready to make the sacrifice and let her go. He wanted her to be happy, even at the cost of his own happiness.<br>He could ask nothing better than live like this forever, waking up every morning curled beside her (she would never sleep alone, it gave her nightmares, she said, and who was he to complain after all?), working in the fields while she played and sang (her voice was so sweet, better than any other music), watching her grow from a scared little thing in the body of a beautiful woman into that splendid creature, but it would be cruel and selfish to confine her, to keep her for himself forever.

When he first took her to the village, two years later, after having forestalled the moment for as long as possible, she stared wide-eyed at everything: she had never seen so many people together. Granted, she had been to Marmo and many other places, while she was a mere spirit tied to his soul, and she had escaped from fallen Marmo with him in the first days of her real life, but those were nightmares and these confused memories, like the very first memories of a young child.  
>She was beautiful. She stood out even among others of her race, tall and graceful and innocent. Jiba noticed that he had not been the only one to notice and felt like strangling the bastards who dared set eyes on his Maya. Fuming silently, he had taken her to the bazaar, to purchase small commodities he could not craft. She drank in the sights and smells of the place greedily, curious as a cat, eliciting smiling but worried glances from the salespeople. Maybe some of them thought she was a bit retarded from her childish behaviour, but she was far from it. Let them think what they wanted, he shrugged.<br>Jiba knew that it was very unlikely that Maya's curiosity and her lively nature would be sated by a single visit to the accursed place. She didn't ask, but he saw the pleading in his eyes and almost felt her yearning for it, for the hustle and bustle, for the noise, the smells and the sights of the wonderful place, almost felt it as if they still were one, and could not refuse. He took to chaperone her there every week to explore and took the habit of buying her a little present every time. Oh, how she would look at him with eyes full of gratitude and tenderness and flung her arms around his neck and kiss him on his cheek.  
>The first time a giggling girl came to ask Maya out to play with a group of other maidens, his sister shirked back, wary, and sought refuge with him, as usual, but the girl came again the next week and the week after that and Maya gave in, asking him for a permission he didn't have the heart to refuse.<br>He had to keep telling himself that he was happy if she was happy, and she looked nothing less than deliriously joyful when she played with her newfound friends. If they found it strange that she didn't know any of the games they played, they didn't voice their concern and Maya's progress in their society was unhindered. As he gathered, most of the village assumed they were orphans and refugees form the war in Marmo, which in fact they were, and therefore entitled to their sympathy and to being a bit strange.  
>As the warm season got by, Maya started to go to the market most days, leaving him alone at their house. He tended to the fields, waiting for her return and feeling lonelier than ever. He felt mutilated when she was not around, but he steeled himself and endured. Every time she would return with a broad smile on her face and hug him and he would feel like a piece of a puzzle clicking into place again. Over supper, she would talk to him of her adventures with her friends, of their games and their conversations, of her feelings and impressions, and his loneliness would abate. Some nights he almost felt like he was connected to her again, particularly when they went to bed and she would curl against him, sleepily biding him good-night and falling asleep with her head on his shoulder. On those nights, he would remain awake a bit longer, just to hear the sound of her breath and to inhale that sweet smell of flowers and earth that was hers and hers alone, and he would feel deeply content and safe, relaxing gradually and sinking into oblivion in his sister's arms.<p>

Jiba felt happy but he knew deep down that happiness would not last. It never did. He also knew exactly that the beginning of the downfall would be when his sister discovered men. The death knoll of their happy secluded life sounded on a pretty spring evening, roughly a year after he had first led her to the market. Maya returned from her trip to the village, unsmiling for a change, but pensive and almost melancholy. Jiba knew from the start that something was wrong, but she wouldn't tell him what. Her idle conversation on anything and nothing, which he usually found so endearing, was grating on his nerves. Only at the end of the meal she told the truth. "Shira has introduced me to her cousin Victhar." she said as if it was unimportant, but he saw her blush and knew himself doomed. He didn't say anything and kept his featured schooled into a reassuring smile, but deep inside his heart was sinking. It was just a matter of time, he knew, before he would be left behind when she went on with her life. It may not be with this guy, it may not be this time, but the stage was set for the show. She would fall in love, fall hard, and marry and leave him alone in the house he built for her, but he must not think of it. It was natural, it was good: she was just growing up. If he loved her so much as to be willing to destroy the world for her, he could bloody well let her take ownership of the life he had strived to give her.  
>During the following months, Jiba tried to forget that she ever mentioned the boy and she didn't mention him again, in fact. Could it be that she sensed his discomfort and tried to hide from him? He couldn't tell, but he was more than happy to leave well enough alone. Who knows, she might have already dumped the guy, or may never have hooked up with him to begin with…<br>His tenuous hopes were horribly crashed one late summer evening. He was rushing to the village to buy a new handle for his sickle when he almost collided with a blissfully oblivious couple of youngsters who were kissing each other like there was no tomorrow. It took him a few moments to realize that the girl of the couple was his Maya. Eyes closed, arms flung around the boy's neck (might he be that Vic-something she had talked about months ago?), she seemed to be enjoying the moment. The boy held her flush against him, hands on her waist, almost possessively. The world seemed to stop for a moment. Jiba wanted nothing better than to fling himself at the boy and beat him within an inch of his life. Even if Vic-whatever was taller and broader than him, Jiba was sure he could make short work of him; after all he had been alone on the streets of Marmo since day one, had been in war and had killed more people than he cared to remember. From a practical point of view, he could beat the sod to a pulp, he surely could, but why did he feel this horrible impulse to do it? His sister was happy, that was clear, why he couldn't feel happy for her? Why did he want to tear her away from that embrace? Why did he feel as if his heart was shattering?  
>Jiba turned on his heel, unheeded, and ran as fast as he could towards his home, never stopping, then kept running, until he was totally exhausted, until he couldn't take a step further and collapsed to the ground. Sprawled on his back in the fields, Jiba contemplated the darkening sky above him, cold and unfeeling, so splendid even if it was a horrible day, totally uncaring. There was no justice in the world.<br>Jiba didn't tell Maya what he had seen, he didn't mention it in any way and she didn't volunteer any confession. It was alright, the last thing he wanted was to hear her tell him of his virtues, of how she liked to be with him and all that sweet small -talk. The mere thought of it made him sick at heart. He didn't rejoice in the fact that she had found a boyfriend, but he forced himself not to hinder it. He had stopped going to the market altogether, delegating the duty of shopping entirely to Maya. He told her that it was so that she took increasing responsibilities, but, in truth, he didn't want to go to the village lest he saw that boy. He hated him with everything he was and didn't trust himself enough to keep calm if the boy crossed his path.  
>As a consequence of his inner turmoil, even the relationship with his sister was straining. Maybe picking up his melancholy or maybe because happier and more momentous thoughts occupied her mind, Maya was less talkative than usual during the evenings and uneasy silence filled the house. She may have stopped talking to him, but, when they went to bed, she clung to him even more fiercely. It was as in their first weeks together, when she would hold on to him as if he was the only solid thing in a flood and never let go.<br>Even if usually he viewed it as a curse, Jiba was actually grateful that their thoughts and feelings were not connected anymore. When he lay awake beside her at night, savouring her nearness until it lasted, he couldn't help but thinking and feeling things he shouldn't, un-brotherly, dark, disturbing things. He should be the one to make her happy; he should be the one to hold her close during the day as well as during the night. He gazed at her innocent, sleeping form and he had to fight with all his might against the temptation of claiming her lips with his, of tasting heaven for a mere moment. How could he be so depravate?

Stewing in his unholy feelings, tormented by jealousy towards the carefree boy his sister loved, Jiba grew still more indrawn. He was still gentle towards his sister, even more so, sweet to a fault, but silent, with a tangible melancholy edge. Their conversations seemed forced at best, he unwilling to talk lest she discovered his shameful secrets and she distant, as if wondering, and most times they shared an uneasy silence over their supper, only to curl into each other's arms all more fiercely, like the scared children they still were facing a thunderstorm.  
>In fact, the atmosphere felt tense and electric as if a storm was brewing, both figuratively and materially. Autumn was fast approaching on cold winds, with its load of gelid rain, but there was still much to do in the fields. Jiba toiled alone. He didn't care about fatigue and boredom. As long as Maya was happy, what if he suffered? What if his heart burst under conflicting, unnameable emotions? To tell the whole truth, he enjoyed manual labour; it allowed him to stop thinking, focusing on the rhythmic, repetitive motion, to stop anguishing, to exhaust himself.<br>He was all sweaty from the day's labour, that afternoon, when he walked home, shirtless and empty-headed. The day was sullen: dark, billowing clouds nursing a nascent storm, the light metallic and sickly. Jiba had the feeling that something important was going to happen, something not necessarily good, but big. Walking through the woods, he took a shortcut through a meadow and there, under the shade of a big, shaggy bush, still sporting most of its summer leaves, he found Maya, entangled in a passionate embrace with her beau. Her blouse was unlaced and her pert breasts peeked out, her hair dishevelled, her lips locked with her lover's, while his hands roamed freely upon her chocolate skin. For a moment, Jiba could only stand and stare, marvelling at how he had never noticed that her naked skin was so enticing, after all the times he had had to help her change in the first months. The horrible two-headed beast, lust and jealousy, reared up and roared within him. How easy it would be, to heft his spade and dash the boy's head, to kill him once and for all, this idiot who dared touch his Maya. His whole body screamed in need, urging him to move, to do it, but some better part of him, the part that truly loved his sister and not just coveted her, resisted and knew it was not the way. If he truly loved her, he must let her live, must let her be free. He had fought so long for her to be free, how could he curtail this freedom now, because it didn't lead her the way he wanted? Yes, letting her free was the right thing to do, even if it hurt so much, much more than any wound he had ever sustained, even if he had been almost gutted by an axe. Tears falling on his face, Jiba dropped his spade and ran, ran as fast as he could, whipped by branches, snagged by thorn bushes, heedless of the direction. It didn't really matter where he went, as long as it was far, as far as possible, far enough that he couldn't hurt her, that he couldn't ruin all that he had built for her. If the only way to let her live happily, unthreatened, was removing himself from her life altogether, so be it.  
>Jiba ran without pause, ran until his lungs burned and his legs felt weak, kept running even when the autumn storm unleashed his fury of freezing rain and chilly, cruel wind and didn't stop running even when he felt his muscles go numb from the cold and his head grow light from fatigue. "Keep running, do not think, do not suffer, run. If you love someone, let them go. Run…" he repeated to himself like a prayer. Almost blinded by the rain and the darkness, he stumbled into a protruding root and fell sprawling to the ground, regained his feet and fell again, unable to muster the strength to rise again. He rolled over on his back and stared at the merciless sky. The world spun around him like a carrousel, rain falling into his eyes and mingling with tears. Jiba felt the darkness approaching. His last thought was for her.<p>

A voice, so sweet, reclaimed him from the embrace of the darkness. "Maya…" he rasped. His throat was sore and raw. He felt both cold and hot at the same time, trembling hopelessly like a leaf in a gale, but still tried to get up. "Shhh… Do not fret. It is all over. I'm here." she said, gently holding him down and wiping his brow with a wet cloth. He shivered harder and she swaddled him tighter in the blankets, curling herself against him to add her warmth to that of the cloth. "I'm here, _melanion_. I'm here, you are safe." she repeated and he could feel her tenderness and concern, deep inside him, could feel her love enveloping him as if it was another, much warmer blanket, and let himself relax. As long as they were together, they were safe.

Jiba didn't know anything of the hours or days that passed since he had fled from the meadow. He had fragments of memories, but vague and foggy as dreams, more feeling than fact: Maya mopping his brow with a wet cloth, her warmth fighting the chill in his own body, her hands holding him gently while he thrashed. He was lying on a bed, feeling weak as a new-born kitten, a vague pain spreading in his chest. Even opening his eyes was a herculean effort. He was home again, in their room, in their bed and had no idea of how did he get there. Maya was there as well, sitting on the only chair, which had been moved next to the bed. She looked exhausted, dark shadows spreading under her eyes, but upon seeing him open his eyes she seemed to regain her vitality. With a cry of inexpressible joy she jumped from the chair and knelt beside the bed, grasping his hand and peppering it with kisses. "Maya?" he asked weakly, puzzled by her behaviour. She lifted her head from his hand and he saw tears glistening in her golden eyes. "I thought you would not awake. I thought I had lost you…" she whispered, lifting his hand and pressing it against her cheek tenderly.  
>"How long?..." he croaked, his voice breaking into a coughing fit. Maya helped him sit up and rubbed his back soothingly while he coughed his lungs out. "A week. – she whispered, helping him to lie down again after the fit subsided – A week you have been dancing on the edge of life and death, slipping in and out of consciousness, raving and convulsing." Her face was streaked by tears now. "Sometimes I thought you would not make it. – she confessed, caressing his cheek and brow – But you were always the fighter, I should have known better. Still, I couldn't stop thinking… I was so afraid…"<br>Still a bit dazed by fever and surprise, Jiba didn't know what to do or say. "I-I am sorry…" he stammered weakly. Maya shook her head fiercely and silenced him with a delicate finger on his lips. "Shh… It is not your fault. – she murmured – If anything it is mine. I feel so guilty… Could you ever forgive me, _melanion?_" Beloved. She had just called him her beloved. Jiba remained speechless, hoping it was not a mere trick of delirium, and Maya took it as an invitation to explain herself.  
>"I didn't want to make you suffer, I swear. I just wanted to learn. I had to." She said, but Jiba was none the wiser, upon the contrary, if possible he was even more baffled. Maya shook her head. "Victhar – she said and Jiba winced at the mention of the hateful name – Shhh… No, do not fret. He was nothing, nothing. – she reassured, caressing his face lightly, with mere fingertips, and he shuddered involuntarily – You were so kind to me, so gentle, always helping me, always giving me everything I needed, and I could give you nothing in return, so I decided that I would learn how to make you happy." She took a deep breath, as if steeling her resolve. "I love you so much, brother, so much that I feel like bursting, but I knew nothing, I didn't even know myself to begin with, so I had to learn. I wanted to know more about love, before I disappointed you. This was the only way I could think of learning how to express my love for you…"<br>Jiba stared at her, completely shocked. "You wanted to learn… - he whispered and she nodded – How to love… Me?" She nodded again, deadly serious.  
>"You love… Me?" he asked again, his soul torn between a terrible hope and an equally terrible resignation. Maya nodded again.<br>"Sisterly?" he insisted.  
>"No. – she said sadly, shaking her head – Like this…" she didn't do anything, externally, but he felt like a dam had been torn to the ground and, through their old connection, all her love for him crashed into him. No, it was not sisterly affection: it was want and need and longing, it was desire, possession, it was the burning need to be as close as possible again, body and soul, to be together, whatever happened. It was the same sentiment against which he had hopelessly fought for all those months. "Maya…" he breathed, lifting a trembling hand to her face, wiping away her tears. "How?..." he asked, and even if he was too weak to complete the sentence, she knew his meaning, like no other ever could. "We have been interwoven together so tightly for so many years that even the gods could not separate us completely without destroying us. – she said – I noticed early, but I kept the connection closed. I didn't want you to love me just because my feelings affected yours. I wanted you to love me for myself…"<br>"I do. Oh gods, help me, I have always loved you. – he cried, struggling to a sitting position – I fought so hard to stop, but I couldn't."  
>Maya pressed him back into the bed and quirked an eyebrow to him. "Why?" she asked, puzzled.<br>"The boy." he replied closing his eyes in shame.  
>"I am so sorry… - Maya cried, hiding her pretty face in her hands – He was nothing, just a tool. He could not compare to you and every time he touched me, I wished it was you. Oh, why, why didn't you tell me? Why did you avoided me and grew cold towards me?"<br>"I – I was afraid. – he admitted, looking her straight into the eye, laying his soul bare to her, as it should be – I was afraid that you would be disgusted by me, that you would feel a prisoner, that you didn't love me back… I couldn't. I didn't have the courage. I'd rather be miserable than hurt you, _melisse_…" His hand traced her features again, thumb ghosting on her lips, so soft, so desirable, centrepiece of many of his darkest, un-confessable dreams. And to think that his dreams would have been a mere step away... Maya smiled, possibly overhearing his reflections, dipped her head, her lips touching his gently, the tip of her tongue tracing them, and he came undone. Finding strength only the gods know where, he buried his hands in her long silky hair and crashed his lips into hers, devouring them hungrily. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and she whimpered against him. His hands roamed on her skin, tugging at the blouse; he felt fierce satisfaction from her when he tore it apart and slid his hands on her breasts, caressing them gently as if she was so delicate and precious, while she rained kisses on his face and neck. He felt like drowning in a whirlpool of shared ecstasy, lips and mouths eliciting new forms of bliss while they explored each other reverently with feverish caresses and kisses, moans and whimpers. Jiba had though nothing could be better than this, until she straddled him and slid herself onto his painfully erect manhood, joining them as one. Engulfed in her warmth and her love, he screamed. They both screamed, as pleasure became so intense that it bordered on pain, blinding, searing, setting their nerves on fire. He held on to her with everything he was, pushing into her while she rode him deliciously fast and hard, eyes locked with his, and that was it: they both fell hurtling towards a blinding white abyss, reaching the peak of pleasure together. He didn't know how long they lied exhausted in the same position in which they had collapsed, only that it was almost as blissful as the lovemaking had been. What did it matter how long they slept, as long as they were in each other's arms? "I would die happy now, in your arms." he whispered, brushing a lock of silvery-blonde hair from her sweaty forehead. "Live. Live to love me day, after day, after day and never let me go." she replied deadly serious, slipping off his now-soft member and collapsing onto the bed beside him. He hissed softly at her movement and closed his eyes. "To the end of the world, until I have a breath of life left in me, I will always love and protect you, _melisse,_ I swear_." _Jiba hugged her tight and buried his face in her neck. Her scent was divine.  
>Maya snuggled closer to him, embracing him. As they fell into deep sleep together, they knew that pain and desperation were behind them. They were safe, finally and irrevocably, into each other's arms.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: The characters and the setting belong to Ryo Mizuno. The city of Raiden was taken by Eiyuu Kishi Den, a ROLW fansite, I do not know if a settlement of dark elves there is canon or just a roleplay construction. The only things I own are name of the unnamed sister and the OCs Layara and Victhar.

I know, I know, this was supposed to be a one-shot, but it was too fun to let it go, so this will likely become a multichappie fic, how long I still do not know.

WARNING: this will contain a lemon, nothing graphic, but quite fluffy. But still, it is twincest, so if this is not your cup of tea, do not read.  
>Really...<br>No flaming me.  
>You have been warned!<br>This also contains instances of strong language.

Enjoy and review!

* * *

><p>Jiba should have imagined that their delirious happiness would be noticed by someone else, sooner or later, and their peace would end. In retrospective, probably the most observant people in the village would have picked some inkling even sooner, from the way their behaviour changed, from the fact that they were going around together much more and looked both much happier, from a hundred subtle little signs of affection they couldn't repress, but the real wake-up call was surely what happened at the spring festival.<br>The blasted festival was one of the key social happenings of the village and, while the other years they had missed it without problems, this year Maya insisted, so they participated.  
>She was as beautiful as a goddess that night, dressed in a green-gold shimmering gown with a tight bodice and a flowing skirt, her hair pulled up artfully in a bun and some tendrils caressing her bare shoulders. Jiba couldn't help feeling giddy and dreadfully aroused at the sight. Controlling himself during the night would be an ordeal, he knew, but he consoled himself with the fact that, after the festival he would be the one to ravish this shimmering goddess until she begged. Or maybe it would be the other way around… Both perspectives were equally enticing.<br>Maya insisted that he also dressed in his best fineries, a high-collared embroidered shirt, a pair of new baggy white trousers and a pair of shiny leather shoes. By the looks Maya's female friends were giving him, he must have looked quite dashing himself.  
>The main square of the village had been decorated with paper lamps and flowers in a dazzling display of light and colour, food and drinks were available in quantity and many of the party-goers were already quite inebriated when they arrived. There was a band of musicians with a fiddle, a hurdy-gurdy, tambourines and a flute and later there would be dancing, but for the time being the dark elves contented themselves with chattering idly and gorging themselves on the buffet.<br>"Do not be jealous…" Maya whispered in his ear causing him to shiver. She smiled coyly and sauntered away to meet her friends. The girls promptly started chatting amiably and laughing good-naturedly, ignoring the rest of the world. He wouldn't be jealous, not when he felt her love buzzing through him all the time. He could let her keep up their charade by flirting harmlessly and being friendly and try to be less grumpy and sarcastic himself.  
>The party was going on smoothly, he had also managed to smile to the wretched boy, Victhar, without being too nasty and psycho-looking. The poor sod had been shattered when Maya broke up with him.<br>Then the musicians started to play a lively gig and many couples, both young and less young, gathered on the dance floor and started a group dance. Maya was in the middle of it, looking as happy as possible, bright-eyed and smiling. Jiba managed to avoid the most of it, but then one of Maya's friends grabbed his hand and hoisted him on the dance floor and didn't let him go for another four dances, when another girl got hold of him. It was quite funny, to tell the truth, but it would be far more enjoyable if he was dancing with Maya. As if on cue, the musicians announced they would be playing a romantic ballad. The boys were all but wrestling to ask Maya out for the dance. It was widely known that she had ditched Vic and therefore was free to pursue another relationship, and everybody wanted to give it a try. A couple of the girls eyed him expectantly, hoping that he would ask one of them out. He exchanged a glance with Maya, asking her silently what he was supposed to do. She smiled naughtily and he felt her silky laughter resonate in his mind, then she disentangled herself from the crowd of friends and suitors and stalked towards him seductively. The music started to play and they danced together heedless of the rest of the world, their link wide open and strengthened by touching, a joined hand, her other hand on his chest and his on her waist, their bodies a breath apart, not exactly touching, but almost, tantalizingly so. He wanted nothing more than to close that distance and press himself against her, but he held on to self-control for dear life, even if Maya radiated seduction and need into his mind. They lost all sense of time and danced looking into each other's eyes as if the rest of the world was inconsequential. The sinuous motions of his sister's body were driving him insane with frustrated need, which communicated itself into their dance, making it almost predatory and wild. After endless moments, the music wound to a close and they stopped in the middle of the dance floor, slightly flushed and panting, smiling knowingly at each other and barely managing to restrain themselves from physical displays of affection. They surfaced from this intoxicated state of mind fast enough, only to have half the village staring at them. Some people were merely astonished or wondering, some were veering towards judgemental and some were definitely disturbed or disgusted.  
>Jiba and Maya separated themselves hastily and grinned sheepishly, but quickly fled the festival, knowing that they had probably blown their cover irreparably. They didn't care overmuch at the moment since they were still flustered by the dance, and, as soon as they got home, they barely managed to reach their bed. Reality dawned on them at full force only the morning after, but decided to put a brave face on it and go on with their lives.<br>The people in the village were suspicious and stiff when talking to them and noticeably less friendly than usual, still they were not outright hostile on average, barring those who seemed to want to believe the worst of people. They could have lived with it, even if it was not comfortable, but not after the accident with Layara.

It was a nice summer morning when it happened. Jiba had woken up with Maya's kisses that morning and she was doing her best to keep him in bed, even if the fields needed tending to. Admittedly, he was not giving too much resistance and soon she had brought to such a peak of desire with her kisses and subtle caresses that toiling under the sun was not on the priority list anymore. One of the problems of their link was that, when they were too deeply intertwined, it was hard to pay attention to everything else. It was a liability, as facts would demonstrate.  
>Jiba had managed to take command of the situation and was concentrating really hard on clamping down on his side of the link. They had quickly discovered that, when the link was wide open, the release of one of them invariably caused the climax of the other and while it was fun and sweet in its own right, Jiba loved to bring Maya to unbearable heights of pleasure before succumbing himself. The trick however, required an iron self-control and hard concentration.<br>When the worst happened, Jiba was busy with tormenting his lover with sensual delight, pushing into her hard and fast, then withdrawing and lapping at her womanhood reverently, then taking her again, with the aim of having her beg him to stop, which he would be very obliging to do, since he was going totally insane with desire and need. "Please! Please! – Maya was imploring, tossing her head on the pillow – I need you! Quit tormenting me!" she cried, fisting her hand in his spiky hair.  
>Jiba uttered an inarticulate cry and, lifting her legs up on his shoulders, buried himself into her with a growl. "Happy now?" he asked, breathlessly, driving himself into her as deep as he could and releasing his hold on the link. His rhythm faltered when he felt her sensations smash into him like a physical blow and thought it would be all over, but somehow managed to keep going. "Yes! Yes! <em>melanion moi!<em>" she moaned between thrusts, raking her nails on his arms, writhing in pleasure, so close, so damn close.  
>"Oh gods…" he managed to moan and, contrary to his expectations, he was the first to fall hurtling down into sweet oblivion with a wordless scream, bringing her with him.<br>They had lain down in that slightly awkward position for less than a handful of seconds, breathing hard and trembling with aftershocks, when a scream brought them down from their cloud.  
>They turned their heads sleepily towards the source of the noise, only to find a very shocked dark elf girl on the threshold of their bedroom, staring at them in horror, a hand on her mouth as if to prevent further screaming. Jiba blinked at the apparition, half-convinced that she would disappear, but since she remained, he got off Maya and tried to cover them up with the bedsheets, awfully embarrassed. How long had she been there? How much had she seen? He put himself between Maya and the intruder and stared her down aggressively.<br>"What are you doing here, girl?" he asked harshly, quite angry and irritated.  
>The girl, one of Maya's friends shook her head frantically, without answering. "Gods…" she said, horrified. "He… he was raping you." she whispered, obviously referring to Maya, ignoring Jiba altogether. Jiba and Maya exchanged a perplexed look.<br>Maya sighed and finger-combed her hair away from her face. "He was not, Layara. I asked him to do it." she replied calmly.  
>Layara stared at her with growing horror and disgust. "That is sick! – she exclaimed, outraged – You seduced your own brother? You are a twisted pervert! And to think that I considered you my friend…" she spat, her horror quickly finding a new target.<br>Jiba jumped from the bed and advanced towards her menacingly. "Don't call her names. Just don't, if you value your life." There was no denying what she had said, even if he wanted to. The two of them were too much alike not to be related and he didn't want to lie, to deny the best thing that ever happened to him, and felt that neither did Maya.  
>Layara seemed to think very quickly, while retreating. Her eyes skipped from brother to sister and back again, taking note of mussed hair, swollen lips, scratches and love bites and summing the picture up with the sounds she had heard while arriving at the cottage. A realization dawned on her. "It is not him or you, is it? You are both perverts! That's the sickest thing I've ever seen! – she ranted angrily – How could you? Shagging your brother! You are disgusting!" she exclaimed.<br>"And how does that concern you, girl? Does that hurt you in any way? Does that diminish your rights or your freedom? So what? – Jiba fumed, clenching his fists and summoning darkness without thinking – You wouldn't have known it if you had the healthy habit of knocking the door before entering in someone's house." he snarled, the dark sphere hovering over his head menacingly.  
>Layara recoiled another step. "It does not matter, - she replied – it is wrong, it is aberrant! You are aberrant, freaks, both of you. They should have killed you at birth!"<br>Jiba laughed bitterly. "They tried… Care to try again, girl?" he murmured and the sphere floated to his hand, as if he was ready to hurl it against her.  
>Layara took another step out of the room, eyeing him with fear and hate. She risked a quick venomous glance to Maya, so filled with hatred that she physically recoiled and that Jiba felt her pain through their still wide-open link. She was hurting, Layara was supposed to be her friend, but she could not understand her, couldn't understand them, and she now hated her and considered her a monster.<br>Layara raised her chin in defiance. "I will tell everybody. – she said venomously – Nobody will want you around again, monsters! You will have to crawl back to whatever sewer has spewed you!"  
>Jiba had had enough of it and hurled the dark sphere at her, intentionally missing, however. The girl yelped anyway, terrified, and, gathering her skirts, ran away as fast as possible. Jiba didn't follow her. Feeling drained and defeated, he returned to the bed and sat beside his sister, holding her hand tight. "I am sorry…" he said.<br>Maya smiled sadly. "It is not your fault." she replied, caressing his face and trying to tame his quite wild hair. Jiba leaned into the touch but didn't let go of the argument. "I can't help but feeling guilty, sister. Now your friend hates you and calls you a monster…" he said and felt her pick up on his old memories of when they got called monsters and thrown stones at in Marmo, when they were just children, half-starved and terrified, with only each other as comfort and protection.  
>They looked each other in the eye for long moments then Maya spoke. "I'd rather be a monster but have you, than be normal without you." she whispered softly and kissed him.<br>"The only person I really need is you, _melanion. _I enjoyed having friends, but she was not really my friend, I guess, otherwise she would have understood, she would have heard us out." she continued, stroking his back soothingly.  
>"She will turn the village against us." he whispered, shivering lightly at her touch.<br>Maya nodded resigned. "But we will survive nonetheless, as we always did." she retorted.  
>Jiba sighed. "I wanted an easy life for you, <em>melisse<em>, without having to fight to survive."  
>Maya smiled and lay her head on his shoulder, caressing his chest. "Any life with you is fine for me, <em>melanion<em>." she whispered and she meant it.

They tried to put a brave face on it, but when they tried to get to the village, hand in hand, because they had nothing to hide anymore, they got barred by the village elders, while the rest of the village stood there and looked at them with loathing and disgust. There were notable exceptions, such as the blacksmith and a couple of Maya's former friends, but they likely didn't dare to side with them or show any kind of support for fear of getting the same treatment from the rest of the village.  
>A group of youngsters, among which Victhar, started to pelt them with stones and call them names. "Monsters! Freaks!" they screamed "Bitch! Whore!" that was dear Vic, who had finally figured out who he had been ditched for. The name calling, however, was nothing to them and as for the stones, they were not children anymore. Jiba summoned the wind spirit and reflected them back effortlessly. "We didn't do anything to harm you. – Maya said angrily – You are the monsters, not us!" Another shower of stones and a couple of spells flew towards them and they retreated, walking briskly home.<br>It was clear now that there was no more trading with the village. They would have to make do with what they had and do without of anything they couldn't plant or craft or forage for. It would be hard, but they could have made it, until the sabotages started.  
>The first time it was just an ambush, a group of idle youths from the village popping out of a thicket and throwing stones at them while they worked, with no greater effect than a bruise on Jiba's forehead, but then they stole the tools and tried to burn the shed, then poisoned the rabbits and when Jiba went to the forest to hunt for more, he was attacked by armed villagers with poleaxes and scythes.<br>In the end, they burned their crops, one night, and, even with the help of water spirits, they didn't manage to salvage much, not enough to last for the winter. Now Jiba didn't dare leaving Maya alone a second, not since he had heard the raiders scream that they would rape her, to teach her what a real man was like. Maya could defend herself, he had taught her and she was a natural, but he didn't want to risk it. He couldn't bear thinking of anyone touching her, of anyone hurting her like that, he just couldn't.  
>At that point, Jiba and Maya had resigned themselves to the fact that they would have to leave, also because they wouldn't have enough food to last for another winter. The problem was that they didn't know where they could go next. Dark elves were not welcomed in most places in the world, for good reasons mostly, and they had managed to outstay their welcome in one of the most open communities around. Maybe they should return to Marmo and with any luck, Luzev and the rest would have forgotten about them. Still, it was a bit of a leap in the dark and Jiba felt uneasy. He didn't want to expose Maya to danger unnecessarily, and if Luzev decided that they were undesirable, what they were suffering at the hands of the villagers would be child's play.<br>Salvation appeared in the form of a letter, arrived on his table through magical means from Aldo Nova, the sorcerer. The old human, who had been the only one to show some pity at their plight, seemed to have developed a sort of attachment to him and Maya and sent them occasional letters, enquiring after their health and wellbeing and relaying news from Lodoss. Apparently the knight had finally managed to marry the troubled priestess, while Ryna and Garrack had hooked up and Leaf, spurred by both her love interests and lovelorn, had left the company. Everybody was well and they were going to re-form the company to go into some hare-brained adventure. Their only problem was that they didn't have any shaman left in the group, but they should be able to find one in no time, Aldo Nova concluded, before enquiring about their health, their fields and even the rabbits.  
>Jiba showed the letter to Maya and after she had read it, they were both thinking the same thing. The heroes had been nice to them after the fall of Marmo, nice enough to let them live despite what they had done during the war and help them find passage to Raiden. Traveling with such a respected group of people, if they consented after all, would grant them peace, because nobody would dare challenge the heroes, and would replenish their money reserves. It seemed a good plan as any, even if it entailed curtailing the physical side of their relationship.<br>Jiba set out to write a reply and send it back through the same magic that brought it to its destination. "Dear Aldo Nova, - he wrote in his cramped hand – we are fine, but troubles have arisen. No casualties so far, except the rabbits. I know you liked the furry things but, alas, they are gone. If you need a shaman, we can fill the spot, if you want. We were going to have to move anyway and we'd like to adventure a bit. Please. We're out of money and of places to go." he added last, forsaking dignity for clarity and sent the reply.  
>The wait was the worst of it, definitely. Jiba didn't want to get his hopes up much, but he waited, enduring another week of torment and raids, he knew that at least the sorcerer would give them a response, even if it was a denial, then they would just turn tail and run to Marmo.<p>

The letter arrived eight days later, dropping on the now-charred table. A lucky sod had managed to get a fire spirit past their defences and the furniture had suffered, still they didn't dare unlock their full potential and summon Ifrit or Jinn, causing a slaughter.  
>The letter lay unopened on the table for long moments. Jiba didn't have the courage to open it and read the sorcerer's explanations as why they couldn't give any help. He stared at the letter for a while, unmoving, until Maya snatched it and broke the seal. She quickly scanned it, eyebrows knit, deadly serious, and Jiba thought that it was over, but Maya let a small cry of joy and hugged him, the letter still clutched tightly in her fist. "They're taking us! They're taking us!" she exclaimed happily and showed him the letter. "… I have spoken to Spark and Garrack and they have decided that it is fine by them, as long as you do not try to kill anyone. – the letter read. He skipped the platitudes about them being very strong summoners, which he knew, and scanned the rest – You can meet us in Kannon in three weeks' time." the letter informed.<br>"Three weeks… - Jiba said in between enthusiastic kisses to Maya – Barely time enough to get there."  
>"Lucky that we have already packed." Maya replied coolly.<br>Jiba smiled and stowed the letter into his backpack. "Yes. Lucky us. – he replied, looking wistfully at the house he had built for his beloved, now half-charred and lost forever – Shall we go?" he asked, shouldering his backpack and holding his hand out to Maya.  
>Maya looked back at everything they were leaving and sighed. "Let's go. – she said, taking his hand – We'll find another place to live in peace and be happy together, sooner or later." she said resolutely and the pair of them set out at a brisk pace in the direction opposite the village.<br>They walked in silence for a while, retreating into themselves so much that they could barely feel each other, musing about their loss and the challenges ahead, perhaps.  
>"Jiba…" Maya called after a while, almost plaintively.<br>"Yes _melisse_?" he replied, a bit worried.  
>"Can we be cousins for this trip? – she asked batting her eyelashes. Jiba levelled a perplexed stare at her – I will go insane if I cannot touch you and cousins are allowed to make love to each other in most places…" she explained, colouring slightly.<br>Jiba chuckled. "We can, until we reach Kannon, but then Aldo Nova and the others know that we are twins…" he explained, squeezing her hand. He didn't want to think about not being able to love her fully, but it was a definite possibility in the future.  
>"We'll think about it when we get there, alright?" she asked.<br>"Yes." he replied. She had a point in that. There was no reason to worry in advance. They were still together and they were going to stick together no matter what. This was what really mattered. The rest they would find a way around when and if they needed to.  
>So reassured, they continued their march towards the future.<p>

* * *

><p>Next chappie, the twins meet with the heroes!<p> 


End file.
